Boa Vista, Cape Verde
Mother and daughter, Nathasja and Caroline, visited the island of Boa Vista back in december 2013. Their first time in Cape Verde would end up being a life changing experience. While getting to know the island with a local they completely fell in love with the beauty of both the island and it’s people.
Starting April 2018, after a few years of going back and forth to the Netherlands, they will be officially calling Boa Vista home. Their Touring company Boa Vista CareFy is on a mission to change the tourism sector on the island, focussing on local initiatives and social projects.
“Unfortunately the big companies use a strategy of telling guests that it’s not safe for them outside of the hotels and resorts. It scares people off from getting to know the island independetely and/or with locals because the reps remind people the are not insured in case anything happens.”
“For us it’s really important that we show our guests more of Boa Vista than just the ‘standard’ highlights of the island…”
“Boa Vista CareFy stands for Boa Vista Care For You. It’s about much more than the tours we offer. We believe that tourism can have a huge positive impact on the lives of the locals, but for that we need to bring the tourists and locals together. The two pillars of our work are respectful tourism and education.”
“Our social project Boa Vista Felicidade supports a small school in the neighborhood of Boa Esperanza (Good Hope). This neighborhood, located close to the fancy hotels and resorts, is also called Barraca, due to the many ‘shack type’ houses. The teacher at this school provides the kids (89 in total, ages 5-13) with extra lessons, since the kids only go to school half a day. He named his school Boa Vista Felicidade to show his appreciation for our support.”
"We see two very popular tours. A tour that shows the Boa Vista coastal line, with visits to places like Varandinha, Santa Moncia and Praia de Ervatão. Our other tour is a mix of the coast and internal parts of the island. This tour brings us to the village of Fundo de Figueiras, where we have lunch at a small local restaurant. If our guests are interested in activities such as horsebackriding or sandboarding we’re we can organize this as well.”
“Depending on the guests, we love going to Boa Esperanza so people can see another side of Cape Verde. Sometimes people ask us if we can stop at the neighborhood, because they are interested in our social project. We are careful with how we go about these things, being respectful to the entire community is what is most important.”
“We can’t wait to get there to start our new life. Since the first time we visited Boa Vista, the island has given us so much. With every new friend we made here, we felt that we were learning more and more. Now, by taking this step, we are truly ready to give back.
Nathasja and Caroline’s favorite places of Boa Vista island:
- The chapel of Fatima, Praia da Cruz Beach…
Located on the North West side of Boa Vista.
- Odjo do Mar…
Known for it’s amazing Waterfalls.
- The beach of Praia de Ervatão…
Famous for the turtles that go there to lay their eggs.
- Baia das Gatas…
An amazing place for snorkling. The road up there is beautiful, it’s always green around the ‘northern’ villages.
- The Morro Negro lighthouse…
Located in a very secluded part of the island, all the way to the East.
- Oasis Fonte Vicente…
This incredible place is part of every tour we do with Boa Vista CareFy.
For more information: www.boavistacarefy.com
By Freddy Gomes